Use Your Head

Got a barber you just absolutely trust? Or maybe a shine guy whose chair you climb onto every few weeks to get your wingtips buffed? That’s what it’s like walking into a quality hat store, one of the last remaining style sanctuaries where you know you’re going to be taken care of. And that’s the thing with buying a hat—you need to put yourself in someone else’s hands, someone who knows the trade. Sure, you’ll have your preferences, but there’s no shame in asking for help. Get some guidance, get some feedback. Because once you settle on a hat, it immediately defines you—it sends a signal. It’s no coincidence, after all, that some of the most iconic men of this century and last—Sinatra, Depp, et al.—are best known with lids on their heads. So start giving some serious thought to your newest accessory.

Named for the block of wood around which they’re molded, handmade blocked hats—bowlers, fedoras, anything with a structured brim and crown—are made much the same way today that they were 150 years ago. Old-school hatmaker Frenel Morris of Still Life in New York first steams the felt for about thirty seconds. This softens the fabric so that it can be stretched onto the block, where creases are ironed out. The hat is then dried in an oven at 120–200 degrees for twenty minutes, setting the shape. Out of the oven, it’s trimmed and pinched further into shape. “If it’s a decent quality and you take care of it, it will last forever,” says J.J. Hat Center’s Marc Williamson. So don’t balk at the price; pony up. It’s a small expense for a lifetime of class.

It’s about shape. If you’re drawing a silhouette of a person, a hat makes a great shape. Personally, there’s something about a wide-brim hat that makes a great shape on my long face.

Let’s talk about the one you’re wearing in this photo.

I’ve had this hat for so many years that it’s tearing apart. But I love it so much I even wore it to the Met Costume Gala with my tudo this year. When I’m in New York, I feel like a country mouse in a city house, so I do little things that remind me of home. It’s good to have something tongue-in-cheek in whatever you’re doing so it’s not so serious all the time.

Getting dressed—start with the hat or the rest of the outt?

The rest of the outt. The hat is the nal touch. The hat is the icing.

Photo: Scott Schuman

Get Your Head in the Game!

Want to buy a hat? J.J. Hat Center’s Marc Williamson explains why a tightly pinched crown goes well with a thin face, how to match a hat to your complexion, and why an oval-shaped mug should avoid the porkpie.

Porkpie

Hiroki Otsuka, 34

Artist

“If you have an oval-shaped face, a pointier chin, and you wear a porkpie, it’s like someone cut off the top of your head. But he has a round, compact face, so the stingy brim looks great. And with darker hair, blacks or browns tend to look the best.”

Bailey, $150.

Photo: Scott Schuman

Get Your Head in the Game!

Walking Hat

Jim Rowe, 32

Bar owner

“The color of his hair—brown with flecks of gray—goes perfectly with the tweed hat. And he has a thinner face, which is why the pinches at the front of the hat are a little tighter. Tighter pinches accentuate the slimness of his face and nose.”

Jonathan Richards, $125.

Photo: Scott Schuman

Get Your Head in the Game!

Newsboy cap

Fabrizio Brienza, 38

Actor

“We went with gray herringbone because of the salt-and-pepper in his hair and because of his complexion. The hat and the hair almost match; they’re like a set. It shouldn’t be a stark contrast. Also, he has an old-school face, which fits with the cap.“

Borsalino, $350.

Photo: Scott Schuman

Get Your Head in the Game!

Fedora

Arem Duplessis, 37

Art director

“He can carry off the two-inch brim and taller crown because he’s a bigger gentleman with broad shoulders; the cut matches nicely with his build. And with his olive complexion, grays and earth tones look really warm on him.”

Borsalino, $95.

Photo: Scott Schuman

Hats Off!

The Best Hat Stores in America

Optimo

Chicago

There are hat stores, and then there’s Optimo, one of the few joints keeping factory-method hat-making alive. Look for Optimo’s hats atop the heads of Johnny Depp and Christian Bale in 2009’s Public Enemies.www.optimohats.com

Photo: François Halard

Byrnie Utz

Seattle

A helpful staff and the finest selection in the Northwest keep hat aficionados flocking to this venerated shop. The store doesn’t have a Web site, but trust us: The cat’s out of the bag. 206-623-0233

Hollywood Hatters

Los Angeles

When Sal Rovero’s shop opened in 1995, it catered to Orthodox Jews, but today it carries something for everyone, with sizing experts to ensure the perfect fit. www .hollywoodhatters.com

J.J. Hat Center

New York City

Proving that age ain’t nothing but a number, the 97-year-old J.J. Hat Center (left) remains stop number one for old- and new-school dandies alike. www.jjhatcenter.com

Established in 1894, Meyer the Hatter is still going strong thanks to four generations of Meyers keeping the tradition alive. Of course, hat-filled floor space the size of a small country doesn’t hurt, either. www .meyerthehatter.com

Still Life

New York City

Open since 2006, Frenel Morris’s shop strikes a perfect balance: It respects—almost reveres—the art of handcrafted hats while easily keeping pace with the fashion-forward shops that neighbor it. www.stilllifenyc.com

Ask a guy why he avoids hats and he might give you a couple of reasons: Bogart, Sinatra, maybe even Indy. Tough acts to follow. But instead of writing off all headgear, he should try something different—something like a non-blocked hat. These unstructured caps give you a louche look that doesn’t channel the Rat Pack. Not that there’s anything wrong with the Rat Pack. Most guys just aren’t the Chairman.

Got a barber you just absolutely trust? Or maybe a shine guy whose chair you climb onto every few weeks to get your wingtips buffed? That’s what it’s like walking into a quality hat store, one of the last remaining style sanctuaries where you know you’re going to be taken care of. And that’s the thing with buying a hat—you need to put yourself in someone else’s hands, someone who knows the trade. Sure, you’ll have your preferences, but there’s no shame in asking for help. Get some guidance, get some feedback. Because once you settle on a hat, it immediately defines you—it sends a signal. It’s no coincidence, after all, that some of the most iconic men of this century and last—Sinatra, Depp, et al.—are best known with lids on their heads. So start giving some serious thought to your newest accessory.